Rampage coach relishes 'unbelievable life experience' in Russia

Before taking over the Rampage in November, Tom Rowe (center) coached Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a traditional Russian power. Rowe not only had to rebuild the team, he had to restore hope to a grieving community after a 2011 plane crash killed 37 players, coaches and support staff. less

Before taking over the Rampage in November, Tom Rowe (center) coached Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a traditional Russian power. Rowe not only had to rebuild the team, he had to restore hope to a grieving community ... more

Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News

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Rampage coach Tom Rowe watches a player in a drill as the team runs through a practice at the Ice and Golf Center. Friday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Rampage coach Tom Rowe watches a player in a drill as the team runs through a practice at the Ice and Golf Center. Friday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News

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Rampage coach Tom Rowe runs through a practice with the team at the Ice and Golf Center. Friday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Rampage coach Tom Rowe runs through a practice with the team at the Ice and Golf Center. Friday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News

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Rampage coach Tom Rowe, left, talks to Vince Trocheck during a practice with the team at the Ice and Golf Center. Friday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Rampage coach Tom Rowe, left, talks to Vince Trocheck during a practice with the team at the Ice and Golf Center. Friday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News

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Rampage coach Tom Rowe calls a drill as the team runs through a practice at the Ice and Golf Center. Friday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Rampage coach Tom Rowe calls a drill as the team runs through a practice at the Ice and Golf Center. Friday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News

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Rampage coach Tom Rowe on the bench during a 2013 home game at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio Rampage head coach Tom Rowe instructs his players during an AHL hockey game against the Oklahoma City Barons, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, in San Antonio. San Antonio won 6-1. (Darren Abate/AHL) less

Rampage coach Tom Rowe on the bench during a 2013 home game at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio Rampage head coach Tom Rowe instructs his players during an AHL hockey game against the Oklahoma City Barons, ... more

Photo: Darren Abate, Courtesy Photo / S.A. Rampage

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Rampage coach Tom Rowe on the bench during a 2013 home game at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio Rampage head coach, Tom Rowe, goes over the gameplan with his team during the first period of an AHL Hockey game in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday November 9th, 2013. (Josh Huskin / www.joshhuskin.com) less

Rampage coach Tom Rowe on the bench during a 2013 home game at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio Rampage head coach, Tom Rowe, goes over the gameplan with his team during the first period of an AHL Hockey game ... more

Photo: Josh Huskin, Courtesy Photo / S.A. Rampage

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Rampage coach Tom Rowe on the bench during a 2013 home game at the AT&T Center.

Rampage coach Tom Rowe on the bench during a 2013 home game at the AT&T Center.

Photo: Josh Huskin, Courtesy Photo / S.A. Rampage

Rampage coach relishes 'unbelievable life experience' in Russia

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SAN ANTONIO — Two months ago, when he was asked to take over as coach of the Rampage 11 games into the season, Tom Rowe didn't hesitate.

A challenge awaited, to be sure. But he figured it wasn't a rebuilding he was facing as much as a rebooting.

Unlike his previous job.

In 2012, Rowe was hired to become the new coach of a traditional Russian hockey power in the wake of a tragedy.

Only months before, on Sept. 7, 2011, a plane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team crashed into a riverbank shortly after takeoff, killing all 37 players, coaches and support staff aboard.

Rowe, a savvy veteran and former NHL player, was asked not only to rebuild that team, but to help restore hope to a devastated Russian community.

More Information

Tom Rowe

Age: 57

Born: May 23, 1956, in Lynn, Mass.

Coaching career: In addition to Lokomotiv of KHL, was head coach of Lowell Lock Monsters (2004-06) and Albany River Rats (2006-08) in AHL ... Assistant coach with Lowell (2001-04) and NHL's Carolina Hurricanes (2008-11).

Playing career: Right wing selected in third round (37th overall) by Washington Capitals in 1976 NHL entry draft ... Scored goal in first shift of first NHL game with Capitals ... In 1978-79, became first U.S.-born player to score 30 goals in an NHL season ... Scored 85 goals with 100 assists in 357 NHL games with Washington, Hartford and Detroit.

Personal: Wife, Bernice; son,

Jason, 31; daughter, Kirsten, 30

“It was high, high pressure, which is one of the reasons I wanted to go,” Rowe said. “But I wasn't ready for the emotional toll. It hit me harder than I thought it would.”

A one-time NHL assistant with the Carolina Hurricanes and AHL head coach, Rowe figured his 12 years of pro experience behind the bench would serve him well.

Not to mention his own pro hockey career. He played in 357 NHL games during eight seasons and in 1978-79 became the first American-born player to score more than 30 goals in a season. He scored a goal in his first NHL game in his first shift.

All of those experiences helped. But nothing could prepare him for what he was about to face. There was no person to consult, no playbook to review.

When Rowe arrived, Yaroslavl, a city of 600,000 about 160 miles northeast of Moscow, was deep in mourning.

Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, called it “the darkest day in the history of our sport.”

Among those who lost their lives were several former NHL players — including Dallas Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins — and the team's head coach, Brad McCrimmon, a friend of Rowe's.

Most of the victims “were just kids,” in their early 20s, Rowe recalled.

The fans were eager to cheer again for a historic franchise that dated to 1959 and won three Russian Super League championships since 1997.

They needed to grieve, but as Rowe soon discovered, the win-at-all-costs hockey culture there made it difficult to move on.

Reminders of the tragedy were everywhere.

At Arena 2000 in Yaroslavl, where the team played its home games, photographs of the players who died were prominently displayed.

Before every home game, one of Yaroslavl's traditional bells, which the city has famously produced since the 17th century, was lowered from above the ice and rung three times in memory of those who died.

On the team's jerseys, a black ribbon with the date of the accident provided yet another reminder. And every visit to a city that had lost a player in the crash included a trip to the cemetery.

Pro Team Sports

Then there was the initial fear of flying for the team to get past, so fresh was the memory of the crash.

“It was in front of them every day,” Rowe said. “The team is such a big part of the city. It was very tough, very emotional.”

After the crash, which occurred on the way to Lokomotiv's 2011 season opener, the organization decided not to play in the Kontinental Hockey League, Russia's premier hockey circuit, the rest of the campaign.

Rowe started from scratch the next year, assembling a team of Russians, Scandanavians and locked-out NHL players. He combined the best of the Russian and North American players, compiling a roster that ranked among the youngest in the league.

Miraculously, the team played well. It won nine straight at one point and attracted the attention of international media. Lokomotiv sold out every home game, finished 34-18 and made the playoffs, where it lost in the first round.

One of his biggest obstacles, Rowe said, in addition to adapting to Russia's “stern culture,” was the language barrier.

“I had to have a translator pretty much the whole time,” he said.

He persisted, but the next season the team started 1-3-1, and Rowe was fired.

“They expect you to go 52-0 and win a championship every year,” Rowe said. “They're not big on patience.”

Today, that's the operative word for Rowe. The Rampage have struggled since he took over for Peter Horachek, who was summoned to coach the parent Florida Panthers when the NHL team fired Kevin Dineen.

He said his experience in Russia “definitely made me a better coach, more patient.”

“It's easier for me now to understand what players go through,” he said.

As for his old team, Rowe said he stays in touch via email with some of the players. A friend, former San Antonio Iguanas and Rampage coach John Torchetti, provides updates, as well. Torchetti is the head coach of Russia's Red Army team.

Some of the victims' relatives have begun to move forward, Rowe said. It has been tougher for others, particularly the widows with young children.

“That's what's so sad,” Rowe said.

He called his 14 months there “an unbelievable life experience,” much more than merely rebuilding a hockey team.

“It was a dose of reality, that's for sure,” Rowe said. “This is a fun game, but it's not life and death.”